With chobok falling on the 15th, competition is heating up among food and retail companies to capture demand from people looking to enjoy restorative dishes at home. As the average dine-in price of samgyetang in Seoul has topped 18,000 won and ready-to-heat home meal replacement (HMR) options have expanded, more consumers are expected to choose "home restorative meals" over dining out.
Food companies are broadening options for restorative HMRs, ranging from samgyetang developed in collaboration with celebrity chefs to products that use differentiated ingredients such as farro, burdock, and ssanghwa concentrate. Big-box stores and online malls are also rolling out discount events on restorative ingredients and HMRs such as eel, abalone, and fresh chicken to get a jump on Boknal demand.
◇ 70,000 won for a family of four to eat samgyetang… rising dining costs
According to the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) price information portal "Chammach," the average price of a bowl of samgyetang in Seoul in May was 18,154 won. That is up 29% from 14,077 won in 2021. Even at the average price, a family of four would spend more than 70,000 won on food alone to eat samgyetang at a restaurant. Choosing a menu with add-ons such as abalone or wild ginseng, or ordering drinks, could increase the actual burden further.
As dining costs continue to climb, heating finished goods or cooking at home using meal kits and dedicated broths is expected to take root as a new Boknal consumption pattern. Unlike traditional samgyetang, which involves a complex process and requires cooking in large batches, HMR products are packaged in single servings, allowing one- to two-person households to use them without burden.
Food companies are targeting the restorative HMR market by differentiating not only on price competitiveness but also on ingredients and recipes. Whereas shelf-stable samgyetang suitable for long-term storage once dominated the market, the product lineup is now expanding to include chilled and premium products that emphasize texture and quality, as well as other soup varieties beyond samgyetang.
CJ CheilJedang(097950) released "Bibigo samgyetang," co-developed with Chef Yun Nara. Designed as a chilled product, it preserves the texture of the chicken and makes it relatively easy to separate meat from bone. The focus was on delivering quality close to samgyetang served at specialty restaurants. CJ CheilJedang samgyetang ranges from 7,000 won to the 13,000-won level per person, depending on the distribution channel and product.
Shinsegae Food(031440) followed its existing "Olban nutritious samgyetang" with "Right and proper farro samgyetang," which uses farro, an ancient grain. It targets consumers who prioritize health and nutrition by adding farro along with glutinous rice, traditionally used in samgyetang.
Beyond samgyetang, the scope of summer restorative dishes is widening. Dongwon F&B introduced "Yangban restorative black goat soup," which uses free-range black goat with a variety of added ingredients, including cnidium, milk vetch root, licorice, chives, green onion, and perilla leaves. It also launched "Yangban ox foot and beef tendon soup," which features beef tendon with a chewy texture in beef bone broth.
NongHyup Moguchon introduced "Ssanghwa samgyetang," which contains ssanghwa concentrate extracted from peony, dong quai, licorice, and more. By adding herbal ingredients to traditional samgyetang, it strengthened the product's positioning as a Boknal restorative dish.
◇ Eel bento for 6,900 won… convenience stores join the Boknal race
Convenience store chains focused on lowering the cost per meal by offering relatively high-priced restorative ingredients such as eel, duck, and abalone in the form of bento boxes, kimbap, and triangle kimbap. The idea is to let customers buy meals with a restorative concept at nearby convenience stores without visiting specialty shops or restaurants.
GS25 released "This month's bento, July Boknal edition" for 6,900 won, which combines freshwater eel, smoked duck, and a hamburger steak. It will also launch premium HMRs featuring a whole freshwater eel with smoked duck and triangle kimbap that uses finely chopped abalone and abalone innard sauce.
At big-box stores, not only finished goods but also discount events are underway for raw ingredients such as fresh chicken, eel, and abalone so people can make restorative dishes at home.
E-MART(139480) introduced "Hong-sam abalone samgyetang," a collaboration between its own HMR brand Peacock and Jung Kwan Jang, and sells it for 9,086 won with an event card payment, a 30% discount from the regular price of 12,980 won. Live abalone from Wando and domestically processed freshwater eel are discounted up to 50% depending on event conditions, and chicken for samgyetang is offered at prices up to 40% lower. The product lineup has been broadened so consumers can choose between buying HMRs or purchasing materials and supplies to cook themselves as needed.
Food companies' online malls are also moving to secure Boknal demand. OURHOME is holding a promotion offering up to 40% off summer restorative products such as samgyetang, loach soup, and half-chicken bone soup. Sempio(007540) is offering discounts of up to 53% through the 25th on baeksuk samgyetang broth and neungi scorched-rice chicken porridge.
A food industry official said, "As the burden of dining-out prices persists and the taste and quality of HMRs improve to specialty-restaurant levels, the home restorative meal market will continue to grow," adding, "The basis of competition is expanding from price to ingredients, taste, and cooking convenience."